Why Mixing Up Your Workout Routine Is Important

Mixing Up Your Workout Routine Does a Body Good

The change in the seasons is the perfect time to get out of a workout rut and explore new and exciting fitness routines. I'll be the first to admit that I have my favorite go-to classes when I need to break a sweat, but I've learned that stepping outside of my comfort zone always proves to be beneficial.

But if a regular workout routine works for you, why should you change up your fitness style? Here's why it's important to mix it up every now and then.

You don't want to plateau. Adding variety to your workouts will keep your exercises from becoming ineffective. If you run at the same speed on the treadmill everyday for 20 minutes, your body will eventually hit a plateau. You will still be burning calories, but you'll need to increase your resistance levels or speed if you want to really maximize results. This is why personal trainers always push their clients to do more reps each workout session, because it helps boost their metabolism and as your strength and endurance grows, so should your workout.

Your body needs time to repair itself. A friend of mine has the best workout routine: Mondays and Wednesdays she goes to yoga and Tuesdays and Thursdays she runs five miles. Because running can be hard on her body, she gives herself a day or two in between to recuperate. If you do the same intense workout each day, you won't be giving certain muscle groups enough time to heal between each workout, and you increase your chances of being injured. Just make sure you have low-intensity workout days between your intense workouts to prevent your body from becoming overtrained.

Burnout prevention. The last thing you want is to get bored with something because you do it so much. Loved biking as a kid but now it only reminds you of your loathed spinning class? Here's the thing: if you keep doing the same workout routine each day and your results start dropping, you're more likely to get bored and give up on your fitness goals. To prevent this from happening, always keep your workout schedule mixed up so things don't become repetitive and boring.